"All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell": The Civil War, Race Relations, and the Battle of Poison SpringMark K. Christ "Dogwood trees were in full bloom as Union General Frederick Steele led 8,500 soldiers out of Little Rock into the woodlands of southwest Arkansas. There, Steele planned to join another Union force before linking with another federal army in Louisiana. What Steele did not know was that the history about to be generated would be one of the darkest hours of American military and race-relations history. But on April 18, 1864, near Camden, Arkansas, black Union soldiers were slaughtered wholesale by Confederate troops. What actually happened during the campaign? What made the Confederate soldiers react so violently to the sight of former slaves in Union uniforms? Why were the usual rules of engagement ignored? What is yet to be learned from reconstructing this battle and its aftermath? Who wrote the "Poison Spring" letter, with its vivid detail and haunting candor? These questions, and others, are pondered by historians Frank Arey, Mark K. Christ, Thomas A. DeBlack, Carl H. Moneyhon, Ronnie A. Nichols, and Gregory J.W. Urwin in a riveting study of this horrific episode."-- Back cover. |
Contents
Introduction | 9 |
White Society and AfricanAmerican Soldiers | 31 |
The Changing Role of Blacks in the Civil War | 59 |
The First Kansas Colored at Honey Springs | 79 |
Who Wrote the Poison Spring Letter? | 99 |
About the Contributors | 139 |
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"All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell": The Civil War, Race Relations, and the ... Mark K. Christ No preview available - 2003 |
"All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell": The Civil War, Race Relations, and the ... Mark K. Christ No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
action African American Arkansas arms army artillery attack August Banks battery battle began black soldiers brigade Britton Camden Captain changed Choctaw Civil Civil War Colonel column command Company Confederacy Confederate Cooper Dear Department division enemy Federal field fight fire forces four front guns hand History Honey Springs House hundred Ibid included Indian Infantry Iowa James John July Kansas Colored killed later letter Lieutenant Little Rock Louisiana Major March Marmaduke master miles Military Mississippi Missouri moved Negro North Official Records ordered organized plantation Poison Spring Press Price raised Rebel regiment remained reported retreat River road served shot side slavery slaves Smith soldiers South Southern Spence Steele Steele's supplies Texans Thomas thousand took train troops Twenty-ninth Texas Cavalry Union units University Volunteer wagons Washington William wounded wrote Yankees
Bibliographic information
| Title | "All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell": The Civil War, Race Relations, and the Battle of Poison Spring |
| Editor | Mark K. Christ |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | august house, 2003 |
| ISBN | 0874837367, 9780874837360 |
| Length | 147 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |